Former Celtic player makes worrying Glasgow Derby claim

The former Celtic star has made a worrying claim about the upcoming Glasgow Derby that is set to be played inside of an empty Parkhead.

There is simply nothing quite like a match between Celtic and the Rangers in world football. The intense rivalry between the two sides means that very few games can match the atmosphere of the Glasgow Derby.

When Steven Gerrard’s Rangers visit Parkhead next Saturday, they won’t have to worry about a hostile atmosphere created by the home fans though as the stands will be empty as a result of the global pandemic that has engulfed the world for the past several months. Naturally it will be a blow to Neil Lennon’s men. Former Celtic star, Kris Commons, appears to be of the same view.

No stranger to the Glasgow Derby, Commons seemed to thrive on the big occasion. In 8 appearances, he scored 4 goals and provided 4 assists against the Rangers, with Celtic losing only two of those games. As a result, his opinion counts for something in this matter.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, he said:

"“There’s no doubt in my mind that this new scenario does favour Rangers.“Home advantage is so much to do with the hostile atmosphere that the Celtic fans create. That’s one less thing for Steven Gerrard’s players to contend with.“Similarly, the fact those Celtic fans won’t be cheering every throw-in or corner their side wins won’t do Neil Lennon’s players any favours.”"

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He does believe though that his former side are the better team of the two and should do enough to come out of the game with all three points:

"“Although I do believe that the closed-doors environment is something of a leveller here, the best football side should still emerge with the three points.“That’s what Neil Lennon will be saying to his players. They are champions for a reason, they are on a good run without playing exceptionally well and if they perform to their capability, they should come out on top.“They just have to find a different way of winning this one. Normally, the atmosphere ensures the game takes care of itself, but this time the players have to look within for their motivation."

In recent years, Commons has become infamous among Celtic fans for his penchant for making controversial comments about his former club. On this occasion though, he does make a lot of sense as it is undeniable that the Parkhead crowd can very often act as a 12th man for the team and they will surely be missed this Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Hoops, that is not their biggest worry right now though as players keep testing positive left, right and centre while away on international duty. As a result, the squad has been left significantly weakened going into the Glasgow Derby and at this point they’d just be happy if no other players end up going down over the next few days.